Illuminating device for vehicles.



A. C. SCHULZ.

ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR VEHiCLES. APPLICATION man rml/2.1914.

Lmm www@ m. mm".

"tiri rarnnn i, i tu ri rf @i carina@ ALBERT 0. SCHULZ, 0F BRDGEPORT. CNNECTCUT, ASSIGNOR TD THE LMBXLE CMPANY OF AMERICA, QF BRIDGEORT, CONNECTGUT, A CORPRJTDN GI" VIRGINM..

Application filed February 12, 191e.

To 'all whom it may concern.'

Be it lrnown that l, ALBERT C. SCHULZ, a citizen of the United -States, and a resident of Bridgeport, county of llairlield, State of Connecticut, whose post-ofiice address is care of The Locomobile Company of America, Bridgeport, Connecticut, have invented an improvement in Illuminating De vices for Vehicles, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

rlhis invention relates to illuminating devices for vehicles and more particularly to devices for illuminating the' steps or the floor of a vehicle to assist` the occupants in entering or leaving. The invent-ion is here in illustrated specifically as applied to the 'titi lli Siti

tonneau of a motor vehicle but it will be evident that it has application to vehicle bodies of other types. rilhe invention will be best understood by reference to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying' illustration ot one specilic embodiment thereo'lz while its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure l shows one Jform of lthe invention applied to the tonneau of a inoter vehicle; an

Fig. 2 is a view partly diagrammatic in form showing the arrangement of lighting circuits.

Referring' to Fig. l and to the embodiment of the invention therein shown, lthe same is illustrated as applied to theopen body or tonneau -l of a motor vehicle having the oppositely disposedjhingeddoors Q and 3 through which entrance may be had to the rear partol" the tonneau. On each side of the vehicle body there is provided the usual foot or runningv boarde which serves as a step to assist the occupant in entering the vehicle through either one of the hinged doors l2 or 3. ln order to illuminate the floor et the vehicle andthe upper base of the running board at night when passen ers are alighting from or enterinof the vehicle, illuminating means are provided which, in

.thedescribed embodiment of the invention,

serves aiitornaticall on the opening of either door to illuminate oth the vehicle floor and the running board.

Specification ef Letters Patent.

Serial No. 818,409.

the door in its immediate vicinity. 'llhe said recess 5 is preferably provided with two titi translucent openings .one onfthe inside of the door and one on the bottom thereofr The door is also provided with illuminating means for projecting light in a lateral i direction either when opened or closed, so

that the door of the vehicle may be illuminatedby the illuminating' deviceiin the closed door and the running` board for all or a substantial portion oi its length. may be illuminated by light from the open door. it separate lamp or other device may be einployed for this purpose, but herein the lamp 6 is provided with Iirneans whereby it pro-- (luces the lateral illumination as well asthe downward. illumination. This is accomA plished by providinga light-transmitting panel I in the inner side ot'A each dooridi rectly at the side or' the lamp d. Bv this means the lamp 6 when lighted will illuniinate the floor of the tonneau when the door is closed, or will. illuminate the .running board in iront et' the door, as well as the ground or other adjacent objects immediately below, when the door is opened. Thus, shown in 1, the lamp in the door 3 illuminates the floor ot the tonneau and the lamp in the open door l illuminates the top of the running board in 'front ot the door and the iaround beneath the same.

llhe lamps may be lighted by any desired means, either automatically lor ,otherwise,

but herein ll haveprovided devices wherebylil@ vthat when the doors are closed the switches are opened, but when the doors areopened the switches are closed*7 the latter condition connecting each lamp terminal through the connections described with the conductor 19 and the opposite pole of the battery. It therefore follows that when either door is opened and the switch 17 or 18, as the case may be, is thereby closed, both lamps are simultaneously energized.

While have herein shown and described for purposes of illustration one specific form of invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of extensive modification without departing from the spirit thereof.

1. The combination with a vehicle body having oppositely arranged hinged doors, of a ootboard or step immediately beneath each door and means for illuminating the floor of the body and the space at the said step, said means comprising-an electric lamp arranged in a-recess in the lower edge of each door, said recess opening downwardly and laterally ,from the inside of the door, wherefrom the light may be directed downwardly when the door is opened, a lightvtransmitting panel covering for the recess in the inner side of said door whereby the Vlight may be directed laterally from =the door, and meansvfor automatically applying the current to each lamp on thevopenmg of either door whereby the floor of the vehicle is illuminated by the lamp [in the closeddoor and the running board land, space thereabout is illuminated by the lamp in the opposite door. 5

2. The combination with a vehicle body i having oppositely hinged doors and a footboard or step beneath each door, of illuminating means carried by each door for directing light .both downwardly and latierally, and means for automatically actuating the illuminating devices of both dors when either door is opened.

3. The combination of a vehicle body hav-l ing oppositely arranged hin ed doors, of a footboardr step immediate y beneath each 4door and meansforf illuminating the floor of said body and the space at the said step,

said means comprising an electric lamp arranged in a recess in each door, a translucent opening fr each lamp on the inside of each door, each of said\lamps being arranged relative to its opening so that light is projected laterally and downwardly through the respective openings, and means for automatically applying the cnrrentto each lamp on the opening ot either door.y wherebythe Hoor of the vehicle is illuminated by the lamp in the closed door and the running board and space thcrcabout are. illuminated by the lamp of theI opened door.

4. The combination of a vehicle body ha ing a door, electric illuminating means carried by said door, another electric illumi- .nating means in said body, not swinging "with said door but adapted to ilhnnine the, Afloor of said body, and means for automativ,cally actuating both of said illuminating means by opening of said door.

5. The combination of a vehicle body har ing a door, electric illuminating means carried by said door and adapted to illuminate, the Space around and beneath said door when said door is open, another electric illuminating means in said body adapted to illuminate the floor'ol the interior of said body, and means for automatically actuating both `of said illuminating means by opening of said door..

6. The combination of a vehicle body having a hinged door, a foot board or step immediatelyr beneath said door, an electric lamp arranged within a recess in the bottom of the door and having a light transmitting opening both at the under side of the door and the inside of the door arranged to project the light both downwardly and laterally through-the iespective openings, means for automatically applying current to the lamp on the opening of. the door upon its hinges, whereby the foot board or step and the space thereabout immediately adJaccnt the door is illuminated by the light through the said openings when the door is .swung open and over the foot board.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to\ this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT C. SCHULZ.

Witnesses:

RICHARD J. KELLEY, O. SANDBERG. 

